


The Trouble With Dreams

by Bemused_Illusionist



Category: Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware - Fandom
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Half-Life VR But the AI is Self-Aware, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Gore, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Multi, Post-Canon, They/Them Pronouns for Benrey (Half-Life)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:02:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26970352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bemused_Illusionist/pseuds/Bemused_Illusionist
Summary: After the resonance cascade and the events that followed, Benrey found themselves having nightmares more and more frequently. Tonight they had a different type of nightmare.
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman
Comments: 6
Kudos: 144





	The Trouble With Dreams

_ Normally, the nightmares were vivid. Crystal clear images pierced through Benrey’s mind, usually of their life on Xen or of the events that followed the resonance cascade. It was always sharp and quick, memories flashing like street lights. This… this was new. It was dark and murky, they could barely see through the fog. There was blood… lots of it, fresh and warm against their cold hands. The source of the blood… oh god… Gordon… what had they done? _

Benrey shot up from the warmth of the bed, their lungs rattling with every breath they took. Soft balls of white light illuminated the room as they escaped their lips, floating aimlessly around in the darkness of the apartment. Their eyes adjusted to the soft light quickly, glancing over at Gordon’s sleeping form on the other side of the bed. They felt bad about leaving, but they needed some space. They couldn’t look at Gordon without thinking about… that.

They swiveled their legs over the side of the bed, wandering through the bedroom door into the small living room. Clambering over to the couch, they turned on the TV with a quick practiced precision, selecting Heavenly Sword from the Playstation startup menu. Blue balls began to mingle with the white as they loaded up a previous save. They’ve played through the game G-d knows how many times, but they didn’t care. They just needed to stop thinking about the blood. They had to.

Gordon shifted in his sleep, rolling over to expect a warm spot next to him, but he was stirred by a cold spot where Benrey usually was. The lack of warmth didn’t register for a second as he rolled back over, but as it did he sat up quickly, glancing around the room. Benrey usually never left the bed during the night unless they had a nightmare. That also explained the white balls fading out of the room.

“Hey Benrey? You good?” Gordon called out softly, waiting to hear a response from the next room over. When he didn’t get one, he moved to get out of bed, sweeping his hair up into a loose ponytail. Usually when Benrey wasn’t verbal it meant he was angry or really scared, and Gordon assumed that since they hadn’t fought in a while, it was the latter. As he walked into the living room, he noticed the waves of blue and white balls floating around the TV as he started to hear what Benrey was saying. Just the usual ramblings about passports and ass whooping, he mused.

Gordon sat next to Benrey on the couch, glancing over at his non-human partner. Their eyes shined more than usual in the might of the screen, tear stains visible under their volumes of hair. Their scrunched up position, barely taking up a fourth of the couch, gave away what their facial expression couldn’t.

“Hey dude… what’s wrong? You’re never this anxious,” Gordon asked, scooching nearer to the Benrey ball. They shrugged, mashing buttons as a light blue blue-tinged bubble floated from their mouth. Over the past few weeks of living together, Gordon had gotten pretty good at reading Benrey’s Black Mesa Sweet Voice. He could garner from the context that these colors meant Benrey wasn’t doing too hot. He grabbed Benrey’s controller out of their hands, pausing the game despite their protests.

“Ok, you need to talk to me. You’re never this silent about your nightmares. What’s going on, Benrey?” Gordon asked, placing a hand on their shoulder. They paused, glancing at the controller in his hands, before replying, “ ‘m fine, Feetman. Just had a bad dream. For once it was all… foggy… and, and there was blood, and…”

Before they knew it, the nightmare spilled from their lips all at once, explaining every excruciating detail. Gordon sat patiently, having grabbed Benrey’s hands from their lap, listening intently to every word. After they finished up their story, the two of them sat in silence for a while, tears once again sliding down Benrey’s cheeks. The silence was broken quickly, however, as Gordon moved to squeeze Benrey in a hug. Their eyes widened with the sudden show of affection, but they soon melted into the embrace, grasping at Gordon’s shirt as they cried. Gordon rubbed their back in small circles, murmuring, “It’s ok dude, let it all out. I’m right here, we’re safe now.”

Eventually, when Benrey had calmed down mostly, they pushed Gordon down into a lying position, resting their head into the crook of his neck. Gordon moved his hand into their hair, playing with it absentmindedly as he handed back their controller. Benrey managed to whisper out, “Thanks I guess. I was fine though,” their voice hoarse from crying. Gordon chuckled softly, whispering back, “Yeah right. Love you too.”

After a few more minutes of playing, Gordon turned off the TV, much to the chagrin of his partner. As Benrey whined halfheartedly, asking for a few more minutes, Gordon replied sternly, “Not this time. You need sleep for tomorrow.” He pushed Benrey off onto the other side of the couch, standing back up onto the cold floor. Scooping them up in a swift motion, Gordon carried them over back to the bed, laying them down onto the sheets. As he laid down to go back to sleep, he noticed a new color of sweet voice floating up in a few brilliant bubbles ranging from a bright orange to a sky blue.

“Yo, what’s that color scheme? That’s a new one,” Gordon muttered, turning over to face Benrey. They replied sheepishly, “Um… o-orange to light blue means… I’m at home with you,” blushing a deep cerulean. Gordon smiled, pulling his partner closer to him and kissing him on the forehead. 

“I feel at home with you too, dude.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is the first fic that I've posted on here, so I'd love to hear all your thoughts. I'm glad that I've finally worked up the courage to join this community.


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